Free Holiday Budget Printable

Get the most out of your holiday savings and spending plan with these top tips:

1. Set your spending limit before you start budgeting

And stick to your limit. That might mean making some compromises. Think through what you need to make your holiday happy and successful. You may need to pay for travel to your holiday destination, but maybe you can pack some food from the pantry rather than buying a meal along the way.

2. Reduce your spending

Add up the total of your holiday list, and don’t be shy about reducing it some more. Challenge yourself to spend a little less each year.

3. Plan for as many expenses as possible

Be as comprehensive as you can as you create your budget. Don’t forget things like holiday tips and year-end giving.

4. Remember to save

Continue saving over the holidays so you don’t shortchange your retirement, education, small business, or other goals.

Tip of the Day

It all started when Marchale Burton overheard Alabama cooperative extension colleague Isaac Chappelle, coordinator of Alabama Saves, explaining how saving just a little bit – even change – is all it takes to become a saver. “I thought about that,” Burton said, “and wanted to see if it would work.” So, she challenged herself to see how much change she could save.

In 2004, Tonya Shelton was facing financial ruin. Barely making more than minimum wage and having lost her home to an unexpected family crisis, Shelton and her family were forced to live in a rundown hotel.

With little-to-no money in the bank and living on a limited income with her adult daughter, Sharon wasn’t sure if building up savings for her future was even possible. “At my age, to put debts behind me would be a relief,” she said, but she wasn’t quite sure how to even get started with a savings plan. That all changed when Sharon attended the Great Lakes Michigan Saves Pay Yourself First Saver’s Summit during America Saves Week.